Eli Manning gets his chance at football immortality next season. The 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremony wrapped up this weekend in Canton, Ohio as the best of the best from the NFL were inducted. The Hall of Fame Class of 2024 consisted of many greats like Kick Returner Devin Hester, Wide Receiver Andre Johnson, Defensive End Julius Peppers, and Linebacker Patrick Willis to name just a few. Now with this year’s ceremony over, it is never too late to look at the players who are eligible in next year’s class.
There is a very notable player eligible in 2025 and that is New York Giants Quarterback Eli Manning. Manning has been with the Giants for his entire 16-year tenure and despite not putting together many winning seasons toward the end of his career, Manning being a possible first-ballot hall of famer should not be controversial. Will he end up getting in?
Eli Manning: Two-Time Super Bowl Champion
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Say what you want about how Eli Manning only put up a .500 record during his NFL tenure at 118-118, but he’s still won two Super Bowls which is hall of fame material. His first Super Bowl win was perhaps the biggest upset in sports history as the Giants were a wild-card playoff team in 2008 and knocked off the unbeaten New England Patriots.
That Patriots team was regarded as one of the greatest offenses in league history that season as Tom Brady had over 53 touchdowns and Hall of Fame Wide Receiver Randy Moss had 23 touchdowns which was a single-season record. While the Giants defense also deserved credit for holding the Patriots in check, you can never forget a memorable moment Eli Manning had. Of course, it was when he escaped a potential sack to throw a deep ball to Wide Receiver David Tyree which is now known as the “helmet catch” which resulted in the Giants historic win.
Manning followed up that MVP Super Bowl performance by winning another championship and game MVP against the Patriots in 2012 as he drove the Giants down the field to give the Giants the win and another Super Bowl victory. Both of those Super Bowls that the Giants won, were due to Manning’s heroics in the final minutes of the game. Those Super Bowl wins simply can’t go unnoticed when it’s time to pick next year’s class.
Manning’s Durability
Once Eli Manning took over the starting quarterback job for the New York Giants in 2004, he simply never missed a game. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback never missed a start due to an injury as at one point in his career, Manning started 210 consecutive games from 2004 to 2017 which was the third-longest consecutive starts by an NFL quarterback. The only two that he trails, are Brett Farve and Philip Rivers. That’s pretty good company.
Eli Manning was almost the “Iron Horse” of the NFL as no injuries or inconsistent play held him back during his tenure as the Giants quarterback. Despite his lackluster play that was shown towards the latter end of his NFL career, it should not go unnoticed that Eli Manning for the majority of his career, never missed a snap. It did not matter if the Giants had a bad offensive line during a game or a disappointing season, it did not seem to faze Manning.
Manning’s Impressive Stats
While Manning’s last several seasons saw a decline in his play as he did not put up 30 touchdown passes or more in his final four seasons, his numbers are still not too shabby. Manning’s arm strength and talent were on full display throughout his career which is why he deserves being a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Eli Manning ranks first all-time in passing yards for the Giants with 57,023, first in touchdown passes with 366, and is also first in completions. On top of those accolades, Manning also ranks 10th all-time in passing yards and 10th in touchdowns. Those numbers that he put up were quite simply elite and should not go unnoticed just like the other accolades that he put up. Eli Manning was one the New York Giant’s greatest quarterbacks that ever came out of their franchise and those statistics should be a major boost in Manning’s hopes of being inducted next summer in Canton.
